Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1887-04-14
From the Salt Lake Daily Tribune.
Open Letter to the Editor of the Demo
crat.'

would publish 1t, because he would not like TO
give voice TO his own shame, and he has prob
ably answered it the only way he could.l
DEAR SIR Abiding to an editorial in
your issue of February IS entitled The
Pension Bill permit me to say that in
my humble opinion, your statements are
not warranted by facts; that they do not
reflect public sentiment, and that they dis
honor both the head and heart of the writ
er. | fully comprehend the hazard of
sending this to You instead of hiding be
hind an unknown name in another journal.
| have weighed the consequences and do
not fear them. Nor shall any fear of your
disapprobation prevent me from defending
a comrade, dead or living, nor make me
silent when lie is insulted. | cannot af-
ford the time, nor you the space, to notice
the full text of your article, and shall con-
tent myself with two or three statements.
You say. by act Of Congress the proud
title of Nations defender earned on so
many bloody fields was henceforth TO
read the Nations Paupers.'" Where is
your warrant for making such false and
reckless assertion: Have you never heard
that the soldier earned in hard cash much
more than the Government paid him, and
the added pittance contemplated in the bill
Have YOU never heard that the soldier had
to take deprecated currency or nothing
You cannot down this ghost with sneer,
because ii has come to stay, and is backed
by arithmctiCal facts. and figures do not
lie Here they are: On January l. 1868,
the soldier was paid in grccnbacks, and it
took s.. % l-2 cents of them to buy 81 in
gold and the soldiers dollar, consequent
ly. shrauk to 43 cents. DO You dispute it:
4 man who would be guilty of writing
such a dishonest >crccd a. you did, would
bc justified in denying anything But
the worst i to come. The soldier was
paid of once in two months and received
s26 in grccnback~. worth exactly Sll.ls,
80 each pay dav he was robbed Of Sl4.S2,
or more than onc-half Of what was due
him. The New York banker waited until
the soldier. down at the front. established
three facts: first that this wa~ Nation
with an almighty biz y secondly, that
the wealth and the honor of the Nation
were pledged for the payment Of debts IN
Cured in ~uppr,SSing the rebellion, and,
thirdly, that the Government had 70 have
the money Then he hung his hat over his
eve and went into Wall Street 70 buy COY
cimment securities. Ills first venture was
a hfty dollar 30 gold-bcarin2. q per cent.
bond and the interest was payable semi
annually This nifty dollar bond cost him
81 -. lea, ing the banker clear profit On
each bond Of S2s.l7. While this sort Of
speculation has built up Il rich and arro-
giant class that has nearly ruined society,
it has sent the
~oIpIrR nEukFN N HFALTH
10 the common poor-houSc. Am | cNag-
gcratings This moment. while | write.
there are more than ton thousand Old sol
dirro in the poor-hou~cs Of the Nation, and
~ many more who have not where to lay
their heads What an encouragement for
the coming generation ~ patriots, The
Government did not pay the soldier what
ii agreed to. and the least it can do i 10
pay him now. and there j. no charity about
it, TWENTY-FIVE wears have passed away
since the struggle, and vast army Of
brave veterans have passed away with the
wears our population ha> increased from
thirty to sixty millions our wealth from
sixteen To hftv billions; aud tie national
debt decreased from two thousand seven
hundred to one thousand three hundred
millions with ~urplu, on hand of a hum
,lr,d million dollars; and these men have
not been paid their just wages, and are
>tarvin. for the want of what IL due them.
And now il j. reserved for Democratic
administration "a rrpudiatc the Nation :
obligation. while man claiming To be 4
respectable journalist applauds him for
the di-graccful act and whlnc~ that This
Administration i the soldiers friend.
For shame
Where wa the soldier when the banker
wa> croning over hi- Bag, Of gold: He
was faintng in tile trenches, toiling along
the weary march. enduring hunger and
thirst. living on the battle field with thr
crimson tide pouring from hi~ breast, nr
picking vcrIuiu from his person in rebel
prisons Yes the President did sign the
Mexican Pension Bill, and it was but jus
tiCc In that same scrced you complain
that it viii make the pension roll too large.
That's another base iusinuation. When
the Government was in danger did any one
complain that TOO many were periling their
lives to save it: Then, If your growl
meant anything it j. not that too many
went but that too many cane back The
Lord pity YOU
AGAIN NoC ARE WORRIED
because no one would derive any benefit
from the provisions Of that bin but sub~ti-
tutee and towards Thr substitute simply
offered To take a rich mans place at the
front. provided tsc man Of wealth would
secure his family from want and a. rule,
he stood brayely by the side Of the yolun-
tcrr i'll all hi> dangers anu LOT 'he Coz"
ards where we're they? Either side had 80
few that the world haS heard Ncfy httle o.
them, but You write exactly a. Il you hhe"
where they were, on the theory that 'pirds
OF feather MOCK to@etnGr " men tnc
yalor OF the American soldier whether III
the Northern or southern army II qut9-
toned. ln>uhctlNeIy one mllld fu>hts oI CT
all those days ana mohths OF horror ne
sees the wlndroWs n deau ahd Woulued
ON the field oi ChlckaihAu@a' and aioh9 lhe
stone fences OF Antletalh ana Geit!sourG
But the coward does not fhaterlaIlHc- re
sees the brave Farra9ut iasled among 'ht
corda2e or ms hohlt sup ht ettN th' AZ
liant Cumberland slowly setting INTO het
ocean grave. htf conscious oaiiier sun
Stlhcu "!',i Wy "it'i .. y
49, ,a,I NOW. ,,n. tinaI word in my own
I.balf \o narsnnal motives couId have
induced me to notice YOU. am absolute
" independent of ANYTHING the Government
may or may not do for the solder, l was
one who trled 70 az NJ huiiloie auly ana II
my country VIII oiiit Pioteot ny iisl''o a.
'i''Aci - - az nc ,Iat ~ a,ii+nr -
tbo 1dr'oc,.,t tbinLs nf me- either Rut |
write his in the defense of nv comrades
,,il.., Ii,s ,ro ,,,odo d,ynh Nv the tnuer n {